The most recognized symbol of San Francisco, California, and maybe also the United States is the spectacular Golden Gate Bridge. An orange suspension bridge is 4.8 km long and links the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula to Marin County. It opened in 1937 and has been since closed because of strong winds only three times: on December 1951, 1982, and 1983. The illustrative orange color was selected by consulting architect Irving Morrow because it complements the natural surroundings and enhances the bridge’s visibility in fog. Until 1964, the bridge had the longest suspension bridge main span in the world, at 1,300 m. Since 1964 its main span length has been surpassed by ten bridges.
We were extremely excited to go across the Golden Gate Bridge. We decided to go over with a bike. But not any bike, a tandem. We rented our bike at the Bike Hut which has a noble story. Bike Hut is, at its heart, a job training program for at-risk kids. It’s located at Pier 40, just north of AT&T Park. Highly recommended, because they also offer very competitive rental prices. We started our journey at Pier 40 and first took a ferry ride to Sausalito, a lovely city north of Golden Gate Bridge. From there we cycled some hills and came to the bridge. A ride over the bridge was very windy and spectacular. The views from there are amazing: San Francisco on the one side and Pacific ocean on the other side.
After crossing the bridge we stopped at San Francisco National Cemetery. It’s beautifully laid out, organized and peaceful. White stones make it timeless. Our second stop was The Palace of Fine Arts Theatre which is a monumental structure originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in order to exhibit works of art presented there. It was inspired by Roman and Ancient Greek architecture and today is a great place to have a picnic or for taking wedding photos. After visiting spectacular palace a day went to an end and we needed to return our bicycles. We had a pleasant ride back to Pier 40 which was hectic at the time because of the rush hour. But we made it safely. I can definitely say that this was one of my favorite day in San Francisco.
